Thrustmaster TH8A Add-On Gearbox Shifter Review

Good / The Thrustmaster TH8A is one of the best if not the best gear shifters you can buy. Due to the metal build quality and solid construction, it could cement every racing simulation into an immersive experience.

Bad / The Thrustmaster TH8A is only compatible with expensive racing wheels.

Verdict / If you have the money and a compatible racing wheel, the Thrustmaster TH8A is the best and most immersive gear shifter you can find. If you want a cheaper gear shifter, check out the G Driving Force Shifter review.

Intro to Thrustmaster TH8A Add-On Gearbox Shifter Review

The TH8A is a perfect complement/add-on to some of the most expensive and most premium racing wheels on the market.

Paired with the likes of the T500RS, Ferrari F1 Wheel Integral T500, T300RS and T300 Ferrari GTE, which are all replica-like quality. However, a high price tag does not necessarily mean that the TH8A performs well as a shifter, so in this TH8A review, I’ll take a look at the features both good and bad.

Pricing

The TH8A is an expensive add-on for your racing set at $157 on Amazon. Due to this hefty price tag, it likely means only the most hardcore racing simulation enthusiasts will be able to appreciate the value and premium build quality that matches the price tag. In this next section, I’ll discuss what value you get with the TH8A.

Features

Good

One of the biggest draws about the TH8A is the premium build materials. The TH8A is built with 100% metal internal mechanisms, a metal gear stick, and a metal clamping system to ensure stability with your racing rig or table. This means that there is barely any plastic in the device.

If you’re looking for some realistic resistance in your shifter, the TH8A is a good product. It has precision due to the magnetic sensor, and you can even adjust the resistance when switching gears. Some users even claim that using the shifter leads to better performance in the game, which is very very cool.

Lastly, setup with this device should be easy, as long as you have a compatible racing wheel as I mentioned.

Bad

While it makes sense, both because of compatibility and the market that would buy this expensive product, it’s a bit of a bummer that the TH8A is only compatible with a select range on the PS3/PS4 with the (T500RS, Ferrari F1 Wheel Integral T500, T300RS and T300 Ferrari GTE racing wheels), but on the Xbox One it’s only compatible with the TX Racing Wheel. On PC, it should work with everything!

Besides that, there isn’t anything bad about the device. Some users have had issues with getting the device to work, but as long as you install the firmware from Thrustmaster PC tools, you should be good to go!

Thrustmaster TH8A Add-On Gearbox Shifter Review Conclusion

The TH8A is a premium product that is easy to setup with a good mounting system, and the metal build construction makes it reliable, sturdy, and fun to use.

Tom Spark is a chair researcher, VPN expert, and a geek product extraordinaire. When he’s not spell checking his articles with Grammarly, he’s playing video games, watching too much Netflix, and deciding if he likes his current chair or not.